Europe.
He saw her from across the road and waved, then ran down the steps towards her. He took hold of both her hands. ‘You came!’
‘I said I would.’
‘I bet fellers ask you out all ’time, don’t they?’
‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘Sometimes.’
‘Do you want to go in for a drink?’ He signified the hotel behind them by a toss of his head. ‘Or go for a walk?’
She pretended to consider even though she knew they would never be allowed in. Carriages were drawn up outside and elegant women and important-looking gentlemen were being ushered into the hotel by uniformed lackeys.
‘I’d rather go for a walk,’ she said. ‘I’ll show you Scarborough if you like?’
He put his arm round her waist and drew her near. ‘All right. Show me all ’best bits.’
She wriggled a little. ‘The best bits are by the harbour where I work; up here is where the visitors come. But we could walk by the Spa; there might be music playing and the gardens are lovely. And if you haven’t much time …’
‘Let’s do that,’ he said. ‘We can watch ’sea and listen to ’music and you can tell me all about yourself.’ His thumb stroked her hip bone and she moved away from him. ‘Don’t you like that?’ he murmured.
She flushed and shrugged. It was rather nice but she thought he was being forward. ‘I’ve only just met you. I don’t even know your name.’
He smiled. ‘Harry,’ he said. ‘Harry Carr. What’s yours?’
‘Jeannie. Jeannette Marshall.’
He put his arm about her again. ‘So now that we’ve been introduced, Miss Marshall, is it all right to do it?’
She couldn’t help but smile. She’d never met anyone like him before. ‘As long as that’s all you do,’ she said archly.
‘Oh – oh!’ He stood back and perused her. ‘What else might I do?’
She was embarrassed now. Did he think she was being bold? That wasn’t her intention.
He saw her confusion and was contrite. He held her hand. ‘Onny teasing,’ he said softly. ‘I won’t do owt that you don’t want me to. Come on, let’s walk.’
They walked down the hill, taking the path past the squares with their elegant houses and private central gardens and dropping down to the footpath to the Spa. They could hear music and the muted cry of sea birds, and the sea was gently lapping on the rocks below. Jeannie thought it was the most beautiful place she knew.
‘Don’t you think it’s lovely?’ she asked. ‘Is Hull like this?’
He shook his head. ‘Hull’s nowt like this. Hull’s a busy lively town. It’s a grand town to live in, if you’re in work. And there’re lots o’ shops if you like that sort o’ thing, and history, loads o’ history. This is nice, though,’ he conceded. ‘If you like living near ’sea. Bet it’s cold in winter!’
‘No more than anywhere else. It’s very bracing. So what’s special about Hull?’
‘Well, it’s home isn’t it? It’s where my family live, where my mates are, where ’fishing is. If you’re a fisherman in Hull there’s allus work.’
‘Same here,’ she said.
He suddenly turned towards her and pressed her against the sea wall, both arms round her. ‘Let’s stop talking, shall we?’ He bent his face towards hers. ‘I want to kiss you,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to talk about everyday things.’ He kissed her mouth hard, taking her breath away.
She pushed him away. ‘Not here!’ she said. ‘People will see!’
‘What people? I don’t see any people.’
‘I live here,’ she said, turning her head away. ‘It’s broad daylight. Someone might see.’
‘Hoity-toity! Don’t Scarborough folk kiss?’
She held his hand tight, for he was about to hold her round the waist again, but she could see that he was laughing at her.
‘Course they do – I expect, anyway. But not where their friends or family can see them.’
He grinned at her. ‘That’s ’first time you’ve been kissed, isn’t it? Didn’t you like it?’
I did, she thought,
He saw her from across the road and waved, then ran down the steps towards her. He took hold of both her hands. ‘You came!’
‘I said I would.’
‘I bet fellers ask you out all ’time, don’t they?’
‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘Sometimes.’
‘Do you want to go in for a drink?’ He signified the hotel behind them by a toss of his head. ‘Or go for a walk?’
She pretended to consider even though she knew they would never be allowed in. Carriages were drawn up outside and elegant women and important-looking gentlemen were being ushered into the hotel by uniformed lackeys.
‘I’d rather go for a walk,’ she said. ‘I’ll show you Scarborough if you like?’
He put his arm round her waist and drew her near. ‘All right. Show me all ’best bits.’
She wriggled a little. ‘The best bits are by the harbour where I work; up here is where the visitors come. But we could walk by the Spa; there might be music playing and the gardens are lovely. And if you haven’t much time …’
‘Let’s do that,’ he said. ‘We can watch ’sea and listen to ’music and you can tell me all about yourself.’ His thumb stroked her hip bone and she moved away from him. ‘Don’t you like that?’ he murmured.
She flushed and shrugged. It was rather nice but she thought he was being forward. ‘I’ve only just met you. I don’t even know your name.’
He smiled. ‘Harry,’ he said. ‘Harry Carr. What’s yours?’
‘Jeannie. Jeannette Marshall.’
He put his arm about her again. ‘So now that we’ve been introduced, Miss Marshall, is it all right to do it?’
She couldn’t help but smile. She’d never met anyone like him before. ‘As long as that’s all you do,’ she said archly.
‘Oh – oh!’ He stood back and perused her. ‘What else might I do?’
She was embarrassed now. Did he think she was being bold? That wasn’t her intention.
He saw her confusion and was contrite. He held her hand. ‘Onny teasing,’ he said softly. ‘I won’t do owt that you don’t want me to. Come on, let’s walk.’
They walked down the hill, taking the path past the squares with their elegant houses and private central gardens and dropping down to the footpath to the Spa. They could hear music and the muted cry of sea birds, and the sea was gently lapping on the rocks below. Jeannie thought it was the most beautiful place she knew.
‘Don’t you think it’s lovely?’ she asked. ‘Is Hull like this?’
He shook his head. ‘Hull’s nowt like this. Hull’s a busy lively town. It’s a grand town to live in, if you’re in work. And there’re lots o’ shops if you like that sort o’ thing, and history, loads o’ history. This is nice, though,’ he conceded. ‘If you like living near ’sea. Bet it’s cold in winter!’
‘No more than anywhere else. It’s very bracing. So what’s special about Hull?’
‘Well, it’s home isn’t it? It’s where my family live, where my mates are, where ’fishing is. If you’re a fisherman in Hull there’s allus work.’
‘Same here,’ she said.
He suddenly turned towards her and pressed her against the sea wall, both arms round her. ‘Let’s stop talking, shall we?’ He bent his face towards hers. ‘I want to kiss you,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to talk about everyday things.’ He kissed her mouth hard, taking her breath away.
She pushed him away. ‘Not here!’ she said. ‘People will see!’
‘What people? I don’t see any people.’
‘I live here,’ she said, turning her head away. ‘It’s broad daylight. Someone might see.’
‘Hoity-toity! Don’t Scarborough folk kiss?’
She held his hand tight, for he was about to hold her round the waist again, but she could see that he was laughing at her.
‘Course they do – I expect, anyway. But not where their friends or family can see them.’
He grinned at her. ‘That’s ’first time you’ve been kissed, isn’t it? Didn’t you like it?’
I did, she thought,
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